Love in Another Life: My Gentle Tyrant
Chapter Twenty Six
Leaving it all behind, whether it was Qingfeng’s pensive glance or Xia Sang’s complicated expression.
‘Little wolf –’ Gently, she looked at the little wolf within her arms. Both its eyes were shut. Xuanji thought for a moment, then said in a soft voice, ‘I will bring you back to the Lin Gardens, is that okay?’
That was its place of birth.
So, it should also die there, in the place where it was once surrounded by its kin…
Xuanji did not know what the others thought of her… wasn’t it foolish to defy the Emperor just for the sake of one animal?
But she was only Zhu Qi.
Even if going back to the Lin Gardens once more would cost her to lose her life.
In the first place, if no one in the world cared for you, then there was no meaning to your life.
Even if she were also afraid of death…
Staring at the dilapidated words carved onto the signboard of the Lin Gardens, Xuanji walked in, completely oblivious to the dangerous eyes following her from behind…
***
From her arms there was a sudden, minute movement.
Xuanji wiped her tears from her eyes and said in surprise, ‘Little wolf –’
The little wolf slowly opened its eyes, staring at her. Though it was a cub, its eyes were filled with sorrow.
Xuanji’s nose prickled, but the little wolf extended one of its claws to paw at her face, as though it was familiar with human nature. Yet in the next moment, the little wolf curled up into a tight ball, slight tremors wracking through its frame. One of its wings was curled up while the other lay open.
‘Are you cold?’ Xuanji’s brows drew together. After a moment’s hesitation, she bent down and placed the little wolf on the ground, her hands reaching towards the silk belt around her outer robes. With a tug, she removed her outer robes, carefully wrapping the red cloth inlaid with gold trimmings around the little wolf’s body, before placing it back into her arms.
The little wolf observed her attentively, its breathing rapid. Though its whines were frail, it seemed to be trying to cheer her up.
Xuanji glanced down at her own body – she was only left with an inner robe, leaving her shoulders and upper arms exposed.
Snorting with laughter, Xuanji smiled. ‘Little pervert.’
The little wolf snuggled closer against her, slowly closing its eyes.
With this laugh, the sadness within Xuanji dissipated a fraction, and the strong instinct for survival began to rise within her heart once more. The little wolf was not yet dead, and even though she was not a jack of all trades like all the other time-travellers, able to change history and find success wherever they went, she could not be so inferior as to resign herself to fate.
Just because Long Fei-li refused to save the little wolf, did it mean that there was no other solution? She would save it!
Physician Lady Cui appeared to be a kind-hearted person. If she were to seek her help in private… or perhaps if she went to steal some medication from the Academy of Medicine… her mind made up, Xuanji was momentarily cheered, and brushed the little wolf’s nose, saying, ‘I have to take my clothes back now, or I can’t bring you with me.’
‘Such a body. All the better if you did not wear your robes.’ An amused voice said leisurely from behind.
Startled, Xuanji turned around only to see a man dressed in reddish-black robes standing behind her, a half-smile on his face. Though undeniably a handsome man, the man’s expression betrayed his sinister intentions.
Prince Zining, Long Liyu.
‘Why are you here?’ In a flash, Xuanji hurriedly used the little wolf and her outer robes wrapped around it to shield her body, staring at the man through guarded eyes.
Long Liyu was the third son of the previous Emperor, and had been conferred the title Prince Zining. With his Prince-ship came the control over his own province located within Xi Liang. In actuality, all the Princes of the late Emperor were allocated fiefs distributed across the various prefectures of Xi Liang. The only exception to this was Prince Lingrui, Long Zijin, whose fief was located within the capital itself.
The Princes who were favoured by the late Emperor were bestowed good provinces to govern, while those unfavoured were less fortunate. For instance, the seventh prince, Long Xiuwen, was bestowed land in Wangyou Prefecture. In its early years, Wangyou was a swamp, but across its borders was Yanxia Prefecture, a bustling city whose prosperity matched the capital’s.
The sons of the late Emperor were all termed shu wang – a Prince descended from the Imperial family – and all of them had a certain number of soldiers under their command.
Other than the shu wang, there were also a few other fan wang – Feudal Lords who were descendants of nobility who had established Xi Liang with the founding father. These Feudal Lords were too in control of certain counties, and were also a force to be reckoned with for they were in command of sizeable military power. And though their troops could not be matched against the imperial court’s elite soldiers, when combined, they nonetheless remained a powerful force.
Because of these reasons, both the Princes and Feudal Lords were forbidden from entering the capital without the Emperor’s summons. They were also forbidden from bringing their armies when coming forth to meet the Emperor, for this was an ancient rule laid down by the ancestors of Xi Liang in circumventing the threat of rebellion.
As such, Long Liyu’s return to the capital on this date was only brought about by the Empress Dowager. As the the Empress Dowager missed her third son, she specially entreated the Emperor to allow his return to the capital to visit her.
The Empress Dowager only had two sons: one was the third prince, Long Liyu, while the other was the ninth prince, also known as Emperor Qingjia of the current dynasty, Long Fei-li. Moreover, as the mother of the tenth prince, Long Zijin, had passed away at a young age, Long Zijin had too been raised under the care of the Empress Dowager, and was on particularly close terms with Long Fei-li. In fact, Long Fei-li was closer to Long Zijin than his legal brother, Long Liyu.
Of course, in actual fact, the Empress Dowager was not Long Fei-li’s birth mother. Yet the birth affairs concerning Long Fei-li were complicated, and this is a part of a story that is to be recounted later.
To think about it, the relationship between Long Liyu and Nian Xuanji was also the result of a wretched destiny. From their first meeting in the imperial gardens, Long Liyu had not been able to forget Xuanji. If the Empress Dowager had managed to take her life that day at Fengjiu Palace, perhaps the matter would have been settled and she would have been left at the back of his mind. However, she survived, and when he met her once more at Huayin Palace, the imprint she left on his mind only deepened.
Having bribed the servants of the imperial palace, information travelled swiftly to reach his ears. Long before Xuanji had brought her people over to Qiuying Pavilion, Long Liyu had already been lying in wait a distance away. Later, when he saw her hurriedly exit in tears, he followed her all the way here.
From his short stays at the imperial palace from time to time, he had seen many beauties. There were a great number of women who were more stunning than Xuanji, but for some reason, as he concealed himself in a corner and saw her talking to the little wolf in between sadness and laughter, he was struck by the sight of her. Much later, when he saw her remove her outer robes, exposing the curve of her slender shoulders, the restlessness in his heart only intensified, and he could no longer help himself, stepping out of his concealment.
‘Your Highness, if you can come to this place, why can’t I?’ He raised his brows and smiled, walking towards her.
‘Then I will disturb you no further.’ Sick pervert – Xuanji thought to herself as she hugged the little wolf, turning to leave.
‘Oh?’ Long Liyu’s eyes darkened as he reached out to stop her.
Panic rose within Xuanji, but she did not dare to allow her fluster to be written on her face, forcing herself to maintain a semblance of composure as she glared at the man.
‘Please act with dignity!’
‘The one without dignity doesn’t seem to be me, but you, Concubine Nian.’ Leisurely, Long Liyu raised her jaw. ‘Not dressing properly…’
Her sharply defined jaw, pressed between his fingers, contrasted with the blood flowing from the small wound on her cheek, making her skin appear all the whiter. Long Liyu’s desire sharpened and he pulled her into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her neck.
***
How could Xuanji have expected Long Liyu to be so audacious? Momentarily stunned, she quickly recovered herself and made to push him away, yet her body was unnaturally frail to the point of helplessness, causing waves of panic to rise within her… what was happening?
Long Liyu took in her fluster, and with a wave of his hands, tugged at her robes, causing both her outer robes and the little wolf to fall to the ground. As he pressed his lips to her ear, he said scornfully, ‘I might have accidentally brushed against your acupuncture points.’
Completely frozen in movements, Xuanji’s body was yielding within his arms. Through her fear, she saw the little wolf lying motionlessly on the ground, and the panic in her heart only increased.
In a voice tight with anger, she said, ‘The Emperor is still alive, what are you trying to do to me?’
‘New pleasures replace old affections. Do you think the Emperor still has the time to care about you? Why don’t you follow me instead. If you serve me well, I may consider bringing you back with me.’
‘Prince Zining, weren’t you desperate for me to die that day?’
Long Liyu laughed. ‘Xuanji, are you still blaming me? Isn’t there a saying… that was then; this is now… And now, my mind is filled only with thoughts of you.’
As he murmured these words, his hand which had been encircling her back swiftly lifted the band of her inner robes, his palm moving to caress her back.
At his touch, Xuanji’s skin began to prickle with goosebumps, her heart growing colder. When Long Fei-li touched her, she had been flustered and nervous. Before today, she had thought that as he was the Emperor and as she was his consort, unless she had a death wish, otherwise, she had no reason to resist him. But now, in the face of Long Liyu’s advances… she suddenly understood that actually, it wasn’t like that…
In Qiuying Pavilion, a faint understanding had already begun to surface in her mind as she became conscious of her own feelings, and now, this understanding only crystallised.
Long Fei-li…
The kiss on her neck grew in its intensity as the warm palm slowly shifted to her navel. In her panic, Xuanji scolded herself in her heart: at this moment, how could she have time to think about anything else –
The Lin Gardens was forbidden territory in the imperial palace. No one would come, and this pervert did not seem to have the intention of relenting…
She suppressed the shivers threatening to spread across her body and said bitingly, ‘Aren’t you afraid of what will happen when His Majesty finds out?’
‘His Majesty?’ Long Liyu raised his brows. ‘Once our matter is settled today, I will bring you back to my province – what can he do?’
Chapter 26: CH 26
Leaving it all behind, whether it was Qingfeng’s pensive glance or Xia Sang’s complicated expression.
‘Little wolf –’ Gently, she looked at the little wolf within her arms. Both its eyes were shut. Xuanji thought for a moment, then said in a soft voice, ‘I will bring you back to the Lin Gardens, is that okay?’
That was its place of birth.
So, it should also die there, in the place where it was once surrounded by its kin…
Xuanji did not know what the others thought of her… wasn’t it foolish to defy the Emperor just for the sake of one animal?
But she was only Zhu Qi.
Even if going back to the Lin Gardens once more would cost her to lose her life.
In the first place, if no one in the world cared for you, then there was no meaning to your life.
Even if she were also afraid of death…
Staring at the dilapidated words carved onto the signboard of the Lin Gardens, Xuanji walked in, completely oblivious to the dangerous eyes following her from behind…
***
From her arms there was a sudden, minute movement.
Xuanji wiped her tears from her eyes and said in surprise, ‘Little wolf –’
The little wolf slowly opened its eyes, staring at her. Though it was a cub, its eyes were filled with sorrow.
Xuanji’s nose prickled, but the little wolf extended one of its claws to paw at her face, as though it was familiar with human nature. Yet in the next moment, the little wolf curled up into a tight ball, slight tremors wracking through its frame. One of its wings was curled up while the other lay open.
‘Are you cold?’ Xuanji’s brows drew together. After a moment’s hesitation, she bent down and placed the little wolf on the ground, her hands reaching towards the silk belt around her outer robes. With a tug, she removed her outer robes, carefully wrapping the red cloth inlaid with gold trimmings around the little wolf’s body, before placing it back into her arms.
The little wolf observed her attentively, its breathing rapid. Though its whines were frail, it seemed to be trying to cheer her up.
Xuanji glanced down at her own body – she was only left with an inner robe, leaving her shoulders and upper arms exposed.
Snorting with laughter, Xuanji smiled. ‘Little pervert.’
With this laugh, the sadness within Xuanji dissipated a fraction, and the strong instinct for survival began to rise within her heart once more. The little wolf was not yet dead, and even though she was not a jack of all trades like all the other time-travellers, able to change history and find success wherever they went, she could not be so inferior as to resign herself to fate.
Just because Long Fei-li refused to save the little wolf, did it mean that there was no other solution? She would save it!
Physician Lady Cui appeared to be a kind-hearted person. If she were to seek her help in private… or perhaps if she went to steal some medication from the Academy of Medicine… her mind made up, Xuanji was momentarily cheered, and brushed the little wolf’s nose, saying, ‘I have to take my clothes back now, or I can’t bring you with me.’
‘Such a body. All the better if you did not wear your robes.’ An amused voice said leisurely from behind.
Startled, Xuanji turned around only to see a man dressed in reddish-black robes standing behind her, a half-smile on his face. Though undeniably a handsome man, the man’s expression betrayed his sinister intentions.
Prince Zining, Long Liyu.
‘Why are you here?’ In a flash, Xuanji hurriedly used the little wolf and her outer robes wrapped around it to shield her body, staring at the man through guarded eyes.
Long Liyu was the third son of the previous Emperor, and had been conferred the title Prince Zining. With his Prince-ship came the control over his own province located within Xi Liang. In actuality, all the Princes of the late Emperor were allocated fiefs distributed across the various prefectures of Xi Liang. The only exception to this was Prince Lingrui, Long Zijin, whose fief was located within the capital itself.
The Princes who were favoured by the late Emperor were bestowed good provinces to govern, while those unfavoured were less fortunate. For instance, the seventh prince, Long Xiuwen, was bestowed land in Wangyou Prefecture. In its early years, Wangyou was a swamp, but across its borders was Yanxia Prefecture, a bustling city whose prosperity matched the capital’s.
The sons of the late Emperor were all termed shu wang – a Prince descended from the Imperial family – and all of them had a certain number of soldiers under their command.
Other than the shu wang, there were also a few other fan wang – Feudal Lords who were descendants of nobility who had established Xi Liang with the founding father. These Feudal Lords were too in control of certain counties, and were also a force to be reckoned with for they were in command of sizeable military power. And though their troops could not be matched against the imperial court’s elite soldiers, when combined, they nonetheless remained a powerful force.
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After the passing of the forefather of Xi Liang, it was the ambition of the long succession of Emperors who had inherited his throne to erode the power of the Feudal Lords. Yet a peaceful settlement had proven impossible to achieve so far, as the attempt to forcibly revoke the authority of the Feudal Lords was bound to result in a civil war. As such, the deadlock between the imperial family and the Feudal Lords persisted till this very day, with both sides unable to gain an upper-hand.Because of these reasons, both the Princes and Feudal Lords were forbidden from entering the capital without the Emperor’s summons. They were also forbidden from bringing their armies when coming forth to meet the Emperor, for this was an ancient rule laid down by the ancestors of Xi Liang in circumventing the threat of rebellion.
As such, Long Liyu’s return to the capital on this date was only brought about by the Empress Dowager. As the the Empress Dowager missed her third son, she specially entreated the Emperor to allow his return to the capital to visit her.
The Empress Dowager only had two sons: one was the third prince, Long Liyu, while the other was the ninth prince, also known as Emperor Qingjia of the current dynasty, Long Fei-li. Moreover, as the mother of the tenth prince, Long Zijin, had passed away at a young age, Long Zijin had too been raised under the care of the Empress Dowager, and was on particularly close terms with Long Fei-li. In fact, Long Fei-li was closer to Long Zijin than his legal brother, Long Liyu.
Of course, in actual fact, the Empress Dowager was not Long Fei-li’s birth mother. Yet the birth affairs concerning Long Fei-li were complicated, and this is a part of a story that is to be recounted later.
To think about it, the relationship between Long Liyu and Nian Xuanji was also the result of a wretched destiny. From their first meeting in the imperial gardens, Long Liyu had not been able to forget Xuanji. If the Empress Dowager had managed to take her life that day at Fengjiu Palace, perhaps the matter would have been settled and she would have been left at the back of his mind. However, she survived, and when he met her once more at Huayin Palace, the imprint she left on his mind only deepened.
Having bribed the servants of the imperial palace, information travelled swiftly to reach his ears. Long before Xuanji had brought her people over to Qiuying Pavilion, Long Liyu had already been lying in wait a distance away. Later, when he saw her hurriedly exit in tears, he followed her all the way here.
From his short stays at the imperial palace from time to time, he had seen many beauties. There were a great number of women who were more stunning than Xuanji, but for some reason, as he concealed himself in a corner and saw her talking to the little wolf in between sadness and laughter, he was struck by the sight of her. Much later, when he saw her remove her outer robes, exposing the curve of her slender shoulders, the restlessness in his heart only intensified, and he could no longer help himself, stepping out of his concealment.
‘Then I will disturb you no further.’ Sick pervert – Xuanji thought to herself as she hugged the little wolf, turning to leave.
‘Oh?’ Long Liyu’s eyes darkened as he reached out to stop her.
Panic rose within Xuanji, but she did not dare to allow her fluster to be written on her face, forcing herself to maintain a semblance of composure as she glared at the man.
‘Please act with dignity!’
‘The one without dignity doesn’t seem to be me, but you, Concubine Nian.’ Leisurely, Long Liyu raised her jaw. ‘Not dressing properly…’
Her sharply defined jaw, pressed between his fingers, contrasted with the blood flowing from the small wound on her cheek, making her skin appear all the whiter. Long Liyu’s desire sharpened and he pulled her into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her neck.
***
How could Xuanji have expected Long Liyu to be so audacious? Momentarily stunned, she quickly recovered herself and made to push him away, yet her body was unnaturally frail to the point of helplessness, causing waves of panic to rise within her… what was happening?
Long Liyu took in her fluster, and with a wave of his hands, tugged at her robes, causing both her outer robes and the little wolf to fall to the ground. As he pressed his lips to her ear, he said scornfully, ‘I might have accidentally brushed against your acupuncture points.’
Completely frozen in movements, Xuanji’s body was yielding within his arms. Through her fear, she saw the little wolf lying motionlessly on the ground, and the panic in her heart only increased.
In a voice tight with anger, she said, ‘The Emperor is still alive, what are you trying to do to me?’
‘New pleasures replace old affections. Do you think the Emperor still has the time to care about you? Why don’t you follow me instead. If you serve me well, I may consider bringing you back with me.’
‘Prince Zining, weren’t you desperate for me to die that day?’
Long Liyu laughed. ‘Xuanji, are you still blaming me? Isn’t there a saying… that was then; this is now… And now, my mind is filled only with thoughts of you.’
As he murmured these words, his hand which had been encircling her back swiftly lifted the band of her inner robes, his palm moving to caress her back.
At his touch, Xuanji’s skin began to prickle with goosebumps, her heart growing colder. When Long Fei-li touched her, she had been flustered and nervous. Before today, she had thought that as he was the Emperor and as she was his consort, unless she had a death wish, otherwise, she had no reason to resist him. But now, in the face of Long Liyu’s advances… she suddenly understood that actually, it wasn’t like that…
In Qiuying Pavilion, a faint understanding had already begun to surface in her mind as she became conscious of her own feelings, and now, this understanding only crystallised.
Long Fei-li…
The kiss on her neck grew in its intensity as the warm palm slowly shifted to her navel. In her panic, Xuanji scolded herself in her heart: at this moment, how could she have time to think about anything else –
She suppressed the shivers threatening to spread across her body and said bitingly, ‘Aren’t you afraid of what will happen when His Majesty finds out?’
‘His Majesty?’ Long Liyu raised his brows. ‘Once our matter is settled today, I will bring you back to my province – what can he do?’
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